Digested read + Stephen Hawking | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/series/digestedread+science/hawking
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Digested read: The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinowhttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/sep/13/digested-read-grand-design-hawking
Bantam Press, £18.99<p>We humans are a curious species, and so we wonder: how does the universe behave, what is the nature of reality, where did we come from and how come Stephen Hawking is writing another book that is the same as the last one? Newtonian physics argues that objects move on well-defined paths and have definite histories, but this gets us nowhere at the sub-atomic level, so we have to adopt a quantum framework.</p><p>Quantum theories can be formulated in many ways, but the most intuitive is the description of it as a system that has not just one history but every possible history. Let me explain. This book may look unique. But really it's almost identical to at least three other books in which I have tried and failed to explain cutting-edge astrophysics to the scientifically illiterate. And as I am certain to fail again, you could say this book has not one but an infinite number of histories. Which brings us to M-Theory and the answer to the ultimate question of life. Unlike that given in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, ours won't be 42. It will be 41. That's my idea of a joke, by the way. Please laugh.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/sep/13/digested-read-grand-design-hawking">Continue reading...</a>BooksCultureStephen HawkingMon, 13 Sep 2010 20:00:36 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/sep/13/digested-read-grand-design-hawkingDaniel Mitchell Digested Read/GuardianIllustration: Daniel Mitchell for the GuardianDaniel Mitchell Digested Read/GuardianIllustration: Daniel Mitchell for the GuardianJohn Crace2010-09-13T20:00:36ZThe digested read: A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawkinghttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/sep/27/digestedread.books
<p>The title of this book differs by only two letters from A Brief History of Time that I wrote in 1988. That book stayed on the bestseller list for 237 weeks; a remarkable feat for a book that no one understood. Three years ago, I attempted to simplify my ideas in The Universe in a Nutshell, but I now gather that no one understood that, either. So, I'm now giving you a third and final chance. At the very least, you will begin to grasp the concept of circular time.</p><p>So pay attention. As Einstein points out, time may be relative, but mine's more valuable than yours. We're searching for a grand unified theory, but haven't got one, because general relativity and quantum mechanics are inconsistent with one another. So let's start with Newton, who gave us the three laws of motion, which describe how bodies react to forces, and the theory of gravity.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/sep/27/digestedread.books">Continue reading...</a>ScienceBooksCultureStephen HawkingTue, 27 Sep 2005 09:48:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/science/2005/sep/27/digestedread.booksJohn Crace2005-09-27T09:48:00ZThe Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawkinghttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/jan/05/awardsandprizes.royalsocietyprizesforsciencebooks
(Bantam, £20)<br /> Condensed in the style of the original<p>Apparently, a large number of the many millions who bought A Brief History of Time got stuck on page one. Oh dear. I expected more of my readers. With this in mind, I have now simplified some of the ideas in the hope you will make it to page two. But since you had no idea of what I was talking about first time round, this is almost certainly a total waste of time. </p><p>Still, as Einstein pointed out, there is no universal quantity called time. Instead, everyone has his or her own personal time; and mine, dare I say it, is more valuable than yours. This is one of the postulates of the theory of relativity - so called because it implied that only relative motion was important. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/jan/05/awardsandprizes.royalsocietyprizesforsciencebooks">Continue reading...</a>Awards and prizesRoyal Society Winton Prize for Science BooksBooksCultureStephen HawkingScienceSat, 05 Jan 2002 01:42:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/jan/05/awardsandprizes.royalsocietyprizesforsciencebooksGuardian Staff2002-01-05T01:42:00Z